Don’t get me wrong, I’m crazy about steam locos, but here lately I’ve had nothing but bad luck with mine… I keep them clean, oiled and don’t overload them with rolling stock, yet something’s always going wrong with them. I could understand if they had a lot of hours on them, but most of these are from a couple of years to a couple of months old with an average of three or four hours if that on them… I get so ticked off at times with them that I’d like to take them out back, set them on top of a fence post and use them for target practise with my .22 rifle!.
I certainly understand your frustration as I do own a few N scale steamers of different makes,ages and types and have encountered problems also.Strangely enough it always seem to be the ones I like most that don’t cooperate.I have a Big Boy that needs a new motor,a brand new Spectrum 2-6-6-2 with a broken side rod that I can’t figure out how I did this,a Mikado that smoked its motor when it shorted on a turnout while running adress 00 on a DCC powered layout,etc.But on the other hand,I have a DCC converted Challenger that makes me forget these when I run it.I also have a Northern,a Berkshire,a Decapod and a Hudson that are fine runners and are awaiting DCC retrofit when budget allows.
If you could be more specific about the problems you are having with yours,there are good chances that someone on this forum,including me,could pinpoint the causes and help you correct a few if not all of your problems.
It would be a shame to use them as target practice indeed.I own an interesting collection of diesels,wich I like a lot,but I feel that steamers have something special not to say a personality.Unfortunately,they are quite complex and fragile,and need very special care in handling and maintenance to keep them ready at all times.
Thanks for your reply and concern Jacktal, but I’m actually a fairly good repairman myself. There’s no way that I would ever take those expensive locos out and actually shoot them - though I do feel like it at times… It’s just that I’m ill right now with a diabetic flair up, and my patience is short. If and when I ever get to feeling normal again, I’ll get around to fixing them.
With my (modest) N scale steam roster, I stick with the basics: Kato Mikes, Bachmsnn Consolidations, and Roundhouse Moguls. Those are the three N scale steam models that have never given me problem one. I’ve got upwards of 300 hours on a couple of my Kato Mikes (lots of running on Ntrak modules!) and I’ve only had to lube them once.
I’ll kitbash the heck out of HO steam, but when it comes to N they have to be bulletproof.
I don’t know if this helps, but model steam ALWAYS seems to need a little more ‘tweaking’ than diesel, no matter what the scale. Frankly, I think it’s the nature of the beast, all those moving parts. I really
I don’t know if this helps, but model steam ALWAYS seems to need a little more ‘tweaking’ than diesel, no matter what the scale. Frankly, I think it’s the nature of the beast, all those moving